This Audi 14/35 was also called the 'Alpensieger' (Alpine-winner). This pointed to its success in one or more Alpine tours. The 14/35 won three times straight off, 1912, 1913 und 1914. An Alpine tour was a reliability trial with strict regulations. It was intended for four-seater cars, at least 2 persons and a controller. The fourth passenger could be simulated by taking on respective ballast.
There wasn't only one Audi on the starting line, there were four taking part, which increased the chances of winning the team prize. The race distance itself was increased a little each year. In 1914 it was just under 3.000 kilometres including some pretty difficult passes. In addition, one had to drive to- and from the race in one's own car. All in all, including the rest-days, one had to reckon with about two weeks.
At that time, there were already long distance races of 10.000 kilometres and more. Because these races were reliability trials, a victory meant a substantial sales increase. Advantageous here, was that basically, they were dealing with standard production cars. One simply selected the most robust models. The engine performance did not play a decisive role, because the allocated times were separately calculated for the individual cubic capacity classes.
The winner was the one who had accumulated the lowest amount of penalty points. Penalty points, or even disqualification, were not only dealt out for delays. The controller could also give penalty points. They became due e.g., with every necessary repair. The engines also had to be started at a certain time every morning and it was not permitted to switch them off during the days race. Conflicts between the driver and the controller were not unusual, indeed sometimes amusing incidents occurred, when the drivers considered the penalty points to be unwarranted and took their revenge in an imaginative way.
August Horch, the actual constructor of these Audis, took part in almost all the reliability trials himself. The 14/35, was so hardy, that nowadays, no-one would even consider even a longer trip in one of them. They had very hard springing, heavy and unfavourably placed steering and hardly any seat-padding, which distinctly reduced the comfort. The reinforced car bodies for the Alpine tours were as usual, not prepared in the Audi factory, but by the Ludwig Kathe company in Halle-on-the-Saale. The yellow and black paintwork corresponded to the Austrian national colours at that time.
One did not yet pay much attention to the advantages of aerodynamics. The cars boat-tail probably had its origins in the Germans general enthusiasm for the navy. As yet, there was no night-racing. That would have been pretty difficult with gas-headlamps, the gas was obtained by dribbling water onto carbide. Worth mentioning, was the increasing enthusiasm that came with each Alpine victory, not only from the staff at Audi, but also from the whole town of Zwickau. The last time however, it was overshadowed by the threat of the first world war. 07/15
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